More Information

Behind the labels

Reliability varies when it comes to front-of-package food labels. Experts say that the two main markers of reliability are government seals and third-party certification. Here's what to look for on six common food labels found on products in stores.

Made in ...

While American wines are labeled according to where the grapes were grown, with geographic boundaries spelled out by the government, other food products with a “Made in” label aren't as well defined.

There is a fledgling effort by the University of Arkansas to start a national listing for what it calls American Origin Products.

The FDA does not regulate the term “whole grain” but recommends to manufacturers that foods labeled “whole grain” should contain whole wheat, whole oats, whole-grain corn or other whole cereal grains.

Unless it is marked “100 percent whole grain,” the food might contain only a small portion of whole grains.

The FDA recommends that consumers check ingredient lists to make sure a whole grain is listed first, which would indicate a high percentage of whole grain.

Fair trade certified

According to Oakland, Calif.'s Fair Trade USA, products bearing the “Fair Trade Certified” label guarantee that the farmer or worker received a fair wage under safe working conditions and that the product was grown or manufactured according to certain environmental standards.

A third-party certifier ensures that the standards are being met before a manufacturer can use the label.

There are now 11,000 Fair Trade Certified products in stores, including coffee, sugar, chocolate bars, rice, bananas and mangoes.

Other certifiers use different requirements. The Domestic Fair Trade Association is about to release its evaluation of four major fair trade certifiers.

Natural

The FDA requires that foods labeled “natural” have no added artificial color additives or flavors.

The USDA says “natural” meats cannot have any artificial ingredients or added color and can be only minimally processed postslaughter.

Cage free means that poultry is not confined to a battery cage. But they still can be housed in hen houses with 10,000 or more chickens and with no access to the outdoors.

There is no third-party auditing.

Free range is monitored by the USDA and requires poultry and egg producers to provide their birds with access to the outdoors. Most are given only a small “patio.”

Grass (forage) fed

According to the USDA, a grass-fed label must mean that the animal, with the exception of milk before weaning, ate grass and forage for its entire life. These animals cannot be fed grain or grain byproducts. Hay and other roughage may be included in its feed source.

A box of cereal reading “Made with whole grains” actually may contain only a small amount of whole wheat flour. A carton of eggs with “cage free” in big letters may have come from chickens that never have seen daylight. A jug of apple juice labeled “Made in Sonoma” may contain mostly apples from Arizona.

Experts warn that many food labels currently in use are unreliable. Some are misleading, using broad terms like “natural” or “whole grain” to lure in consumers. Others are vague and lack important details.

The bottom line for consumers, experts say, is that food labels rarely tell the whole story.

“A lot of these labels are just individual manufacturers' marketing claims,” said Lisa Bunin, organic policy coordinator for the Center for Food Safety, a national nonprofit. “There are no regulations to confirm or dispute whether these labels are true.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates ingredient statements, nutrient content and health claims. But for most front-of-package labels, the FDA only offers guidelines, which consumer groups say creates a free-for-all for producers to capitalize on people trying to eat healthfully and with a social conscience.

However, the FDA is in the process of tightening guidelines for all front-label packages. And certain labels are strictly controlled, such “USDA organic” and “grass-fed,” which the government or third parties certify as accurate.

A Stanford study released earlier this month showing organic products to be no more nutritious than conventionally farmed products was a reminder of the confusion over food labeling. After all, organic agriculture proponents say the certified organic label is not based on nutritional claims, but rather on growing methods.

Bunin points specifically to products labeled “natural” as being troubling.

“The natural label means absolutely nothing,” she said. The FDA prohibits manufacturers from using the “natural” label on foods that have been artificially colored or flavored, she said, but there is no law governing the growing, processing and handling of so-called natural foods. So the term “natural” could be used on genetically modified foods, foods made with synthetic pesticides or livestock fed antibiotics and growth hormones.

Yet, according to a 2010 Hartman Group survey, 61 percent of people polled believed that “natural” meant food that was not genetically modified.

The FDA continues to regulate the use of percentages on labels — so “100 percent whole grain” can be counted on to be true — but claims such as “Made with whole grains” are purposefully vague, according to Steve Gardner, litigation director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. Consumers should look at the ingredient list on the back of the package to be certain of what the product contains, he said. Juliet Sims of Prevention Institute, a national nonprofit in Oakland, Calif., that promotes policies supporting wellness, said the FDA needs to take a harder stand with front-of-package labels.

“They're really just guiding the industry,” she said. “In cases like this, where it's so clear there's a health benefit to consuming whole grains — improving cardiovascular function, reducing cancer risk — it really does make sense to have a law so it kind of levels the playing field for all the companies.”

It's also not unusual for American-grown products to be less than clear in identifying where they are produced. “In Europe, these standards around geography have been highly sophisticated and have government support;” but in North America, “it's less consistent,” said Michael Sligh of the Rural Advancement Foundation International, a North Carolina nonprofit that supports improved standards for food labels.

For example, North Coast Brand apple cider made by Manzana Products Co. is labeled “Made in Sonoma,” which, it turns out, is only a reference to where the juice is processed, in Sebastopol, Calif. Typically only 25 percent of the apples are grown in the county. The rest hail from Arizona and Washington state, Manzana Products President Suzi Kaido said.

“It all used to be from Sonoma County, but now we have a lot of vineyards and not as many apples,” Kaido said about the historic apple-growing region.

“The most powerful things consumers can do is vote with their food dollars,” Sligh said. “Yet that only works if that system is accurate and verifiable and transparent and holds up to the scrutiny.”